Converting early can avoid your exposure to tax changes going forward as a Roth IRA is never taxed again.
Roth conversions can decrease your taxable income and increase your tax savings over the long haul.
Required minimum distributions are taxed as taxable income, the same as other types of traditional IRA withdrawals and Roth conversions.
Taxes related to traditional IRA withdrawals only happen once. Meanwhile, the funds in your taxable account are subjected to taxation each year.